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Friday, November 12, 2010

Recommendations for British Mystery Lovers

Posted by: Cary H.

I know I'm not the only one out there obsessed with British Mysteries. I include mysteries set in England written by American authors in this group, not to mention all the great DVD sets out there. Here are a few suggestions -- some old, some new:

BOOKS:The Inspector Richard Jury series -- Martha Grimes: Funny, quirky characters play off of the more serious Jury. Set in both cozy villages and London.

The Inspector Ian Rutledge series -- Charles Todd: Set in post WWI England, Rutledge is a disturbed officer with shell shock trying to get his life back as a Scotland Yard detective. Both city and village settings.

The Inspector Reginald Wexford -- Ruth Rendell: Ruth Rendell has been writing mysteries for over 40 years. Her Wexford series is a great place to start, but she has many stand alone murder mysteries as well. I've been happily satisfied. Some movies have been made from her novels and are available on DVD.

DVDs:Inspector Lewis series -- Current day Oxford, England. Realistic without being disturbing. Interesting relationships and murder unfold in a university setting.

Midsomer Murders series -- A must-see! This series is in its 13th season. Watch the first season and you'll see why. Who knew so many murders could occur in the country villages of Midsomer county? The library has many of these titles on DVD. Based on the books by Caroline Graham.

The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes -- A new take on a familiar character. From the POV of a young Arthur Conan Doyle, we learn about Doyle's real-life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and some of the real-life events that figured in Doyle's future fiction. Smart writing and great characters.

AUDIO BOOKS:
For those die-hard Agatha Christie fans like me, try your favorite titles, or some you haven't gotten around to reading yet, in audio CD format. The library has lots of choices.